So while checking all my hoses I found both my heater hoses to be on the verge of failure, my engine already has signs that coolant blew all over it once before so I took the warning. Checking the local parts stores I find I can have one at any store but not both. Arrggh. So I drive the extra miles and get both hoses, no fuss no muss right? I figure lets start with the tops one, it seems that as part of a dress up kit the PO installed this big honking chromed 90* connector and to get it off the intake he added a 1.5" extension, the combination will not let me take it off (it's leaking) unless......... wait for it........... I take out the distributor! Really!!!! OK, so I make marks take pictures make more marks and take more pictures. It comes out lickity split. Cool. Off comes the elbow, clean clean clean and plumbers tape it back up, wrapped it the wrong way first, so I had to do it again. Elbow on and pointing in the right direction this time. Time to stab the distro back in. I line everything up and ........... it won't seat. Tap, tap, wiggle wiggle it ain't going in. Considering large hammer as the panic grows. Ok read the install manual. "You may have to turn the oil pump shaft in the unit will not seat." Oil pump shaft? So I look, down in the hole at the bottom of the hole is another hole with my oil shaft in it. Finally found a socket to fit after tearing apart 3 tool boxes, 11/32's thin wall deep well on a 1/4" drive. REALLY!!!! Turn poke, turn, poke, thunk...... DAGNABBIT wrong tooth!! After a couple more tries it dropped in. Ok check the pics against the marks, good to go. Glutton for punishment time. So the PO gave me this big box with a bunch of parts in it including a stainless steel hose cover kit with most of the parts. The hose clamps from the take off were corroded and that's what I needed to make the kit work so off to Home Depot I go for SS hose clamps, they ain't got none but the one 10 miles down the road does. JOY!!! With toys in hand I start putting the SS braid on, that part is easy but getting the doggone hose clamp into the blue anno'd cover was a different story. After 45 minutes of cussing and bleeding the ends were finally on. I did learn that once you get the hose clamp inside the cover you can crank the mess open and it will expand the cover enough to get over the hose and braid then run it up the hose until you have the hose on the car. Then by suitable application of directional force (hammer and looonnnng socket extension) you can tap them in place to seat the clamp where it is supposed to go. With all of that drama out of the way and my hoses routed correctly I now find that I need to make a bracket to hold the hoses up because when full of radiator juice they like to lay down on the headers. One other thing I learned, when you are working over the fender on plumbing and the rubber hose starts to spark it means the other end is on your positive battery terminal! Just say'n. I need a beer. Cheers, Doc
I've found that there's a lot to be said by respecting the original designers ideas; PO's often think they know better than the millions of dollars manufacturers spend to develop cars.
I do not mean to poke you in the eye when I say this, but "Chrome don't get'cha home." I had to deal with a new heater core and hoses when I pulled Babe's engine last year, but I haven't got around to putting the hoses back on yet (It's on my list, don't worry, along with addressing the blower motor). However, I have no plans to put any dress-up kit on them, because I 1) don't have extra money for it all, 2) no patience to deal with it, and 3) if something does go wrong, I've wasted some money in damage, and more in repair. At the very least, wait until you've shaken all the bugs out, then consider dress-up parts when it all correctly works. The only chrome part Babe's engine has is the oil pan, and at the time I needed one, I could not find a stock steel one to save my life, so JCW got my $60.
It's always @#$%&* during the job, but it always feels good when you're done. You get to look at a working heater and say, "I did that!" I'm the only person at work who has done anything more than change the oil ... and most people don't even do that much anymore. Joseph
TD, I'll get to a before and after pic before too long. Huevos, I have no Idea what you sent me my speakers are broke. BB, I may have not gone with the MFG routing exactly but one hose was wrapped around the valve cover and the other was hanging on the exh. manifold so I laid them out in a way that made sense to me. Jut need a bracket to hold them up a bit now. Andy, I know but the heater hoses needed fixed before they burst, I didn't know the elbow was chromed and the stainless skins cost me nothing other than pain, blood and some creative thinking with the added bonus that I learned something, they look good and there is a bit of protection from rubbing. So while I have access to the stuff for free and now that I know how I might very well do the rest of the hoses I am replacing in braid just for the same reasons. That the car came to me murdered out in gloss black appeals to me for it's subtlety I think the motor could do with a little bling given the above. When the dash gauges get here next week the instrument back will probably be a burl wood or carbon fiber (vinyl wrap), still debating. 1965, yes I have, got bored with it and went back to school. I got my BS & MBA because I had the ability to puke on a page. You are not the first person to accuse me of being verbose. That said there are a lot of deserving sailors out there who benefited from my ability to write. Joseph, yep got done, it was dark and I did it. Cheers, Doc
Huevos, That's awesome, I got the "30 days in the hole" music playing in my head when I read it. Cheers, Doc
That was horrible, might be good after a half a bottle of Jack, but so would the tattooed fat lady at the bar at closing time.
As Promised, you can see the engine compartment has been bathed in rusty coolant that has yet to be addressed, Before, note the upper hugging the valve cover and oil dip stick rub, you can even see where the lower is almost on the manifold After, Front view showing re route After, side view they sag a bit hence the need for a little support Cheers, Doc
My Chevelle`s hoses route very similar. Although supported by a bracket attached to inside fender. The brackets are available or can be fabricated? https://www.speedwaymotors.com/OER-...46894375&utm_content=All Products (Dec4_2018)
Fabrication, but I wonder if a couple inches cut from each hose would do the trick. I always do what I can to eliminate excess length, due to damage on fans, shrouds, exhaust, etc.
Don, thanks for the link I'll look into them. Andy, I really wanted to get them away from the plug wires, exhaust and valve covers. When supported just under the voltage regulator they make a very nice paired and parallel set. The side view doesn't do it justice because I was looking down on it. On another note, My Gauges Shipped!!! They will be here next week! That will be the next project. Cheers, Doc
Doc, here's the bracket that came with my car. I'm sure it's not a Ford piece; more likely a Home Depot conduit clamp or something, but it keeps the hoses away from the exhaust.
You want something nice looking instead? PM me your address. I've got a lot of cool fasteners, cables, brackets, clamps, etc. I've collected over 20 years of testing crap.
